Off the Record explores the governance conversations that don’t always make it into the minutes.
Hosted by governance professionals Adam Coonan and Lisa Coletta, the podcast examines the realities shaping Boardroom decision-making today — from director responsibilities and regulatory developments to the behavioural dynamics that influence how decisions are really made.
Drawing on their experience working with Boards, executives, and governance professionals, Lisa and Adam discuss the tensions, questions and emerging issues that sit behind formal governance frameworks.
Each episode explores the ideas, insights and real-world observations that influence governance in practice — including topics such as Boardroom accountability, director oversight, decision-making under uncertainty, the role of inquiry, and the evolving influence of technology.
Off the Record is for directors, governance professionals, executives and advisors who want to better understand the dynamics shaping governance and decision-making in modern organisations.
How connected are Australia’s Boardrooms, really? In this episode of Off the Record, Lisa and Adam explore the invisible networks that exist between ASX-listed company Boardrooms and what those connections might mean for governance, influence and decision-making. Using a 2021 analysis of ASX 200 director networks as the starting point, they examine the behavioural dynamics that can emerge when Directors repeatedly sit alongside people within interconnected professional networks. From conflict...
8 Sept 2026
Episode 10 - Boardroom Time Travel: When Decisions Come Back
When should a Board revisit a decision it has already made, and when is it simply re-prosecuting an argument that should have been left in the past? In this episode of Off the Record, Lisa and Adam explore the governance and behavioural dynamics that emerge when decisions find their way back onto the Board agenda. They unpack what should legitimately trigger reconsideration, why unresolved disagreement can keep dragging Boards backwards, and how collective accountability, delegation and the C...
18 Aug 2026
Episode 9 - The Risk Appetite that Nobody Talks About
In this episode, Lisa and Adam explore the risk appetite that rarely gets discussed: the personal risk tolerance each director brings into the Boardroom. Boards may collectively agree how much and what types of risk an organisation is prepared to accept, but every director brings their own experiences, conditioning, successes and failures to the table. And sometimes, those personal experiences can quietly influence how they respond when a real decision tests the boundaries of the Board’s agre...
28 Jul 2026
Episode 8 - Governance Doesn’t Make You Money... Or Does It?
Governance is often viewed as an overhead: something that costs money, adds process and doesn’t directly contribute to the bottom line. So why should business owners invest in it? In this episode, Lisa and Adam explore the commercial value of good governance and challenge the perception that governance is simply about compliance, policies, meetings and bureaucracy. They unpack the hidden costs of poor governance, from delayed decisions and unclear accountability to founder dependency, leaders...
13 Jul 2026
Podcast Episode 7 - AI Doesn't Change Governance. It Reveals It.
In this episode, Lisa and Adam explore why AI isn't changing governance. It's revealing it. They discuss why legal accountability remains firmly with people, how AI is exposing and magnifying the behavioural dynamics already influencing Board and leadership decision-making, and why strong governance capability, critical thinking and human judgement remain the foundations of effective governance in an ever-changing environment. It's a conversation about leadership, acco...
30 Jun 2026
Episode 6 - Would we Appointment them Today?
Long-serving Directors and advisers often bring invaluable experience, deep organisational knowledge and trusted relationships. But what happens when tenure begins to outweigh contribution? In this episode of Off the Record, Lisa Coletta and Adam Coonan explore one of governance's most uncomfortable conversations. They discuss how complacency can quietly emerge, why Boards sometimes tolerate behaviours they'd never accept from a new appointment, and how loyalty, familiarity and long-standing ...
16 Jun 2026
Episode 5 - Naughty Shareholders who cross the line
Shareholders play a critical role in governance, but what happens when ownership starts bleeding into Board decision-making or management operations? In this episode of Off the Record, Adam Coonan and Lisa Coletta explore the challenges that arise when the boundaries between shareholders, Boards and management become blurred. They discuss the difference between ownership rights, governance responsibilities and operational accountability, and why governance relies on clarity around who decides...
3 Jun 2026
Episode 4 - The Record and the Reality
Board decisions are recorded in the minutes. But what about everything that shaped the decision before it got there? In this episode of Off the Record, Adam Coonan and Lisa Coletta explore the gap between what is formally recorded and what is actually experienced inside the Boardroom. They discuss the behavioural dynamics that influence decision-making, including power, influence, challenge, silence, confidence, culture and the subtle signals that often shape outcomes long before a resolution...
20 May 2026
Episode 3 - Governance in the Grey - Board vs Management
In this episode, Lisa Coletta and Adam Coonan unpack one of governance’s oldest tensions — the line between Board oversight and management responsibility — and why it still quietly destabilises decision-making inside organisations every day. Most governance conversations stop at structure: “Here is the line.” “Here is the delegation.” “Here is the approval authority.” But the real challenge is rarely the policy itself. It is how the line is actually experienced in practice. ...
6 May 2026
Episode 2 - Governance in a Crisis: Are We Responding with Intention or Reacting from Pressure?
In this episode, Lisa and Adam explore how Boards respond under pressure — and whether we’re seeing considered responses or reactive decision-making shaped by past crises. With rising global uncertainty and supply chain pressure, the conversation turns to what’s really driving decision-making in Boardrooms. Is urgency being confused with importance? Are governance frameworks being applied… or bypassed? And perhaps most importantly — how can Boards distinguish between a response and a re...
8 Apr 2026
Episode 1 - The State of Governance: Are Boards Asking the Right Questions?
In this first episode of Off the Record, Lisa Coletta and Adam Coonan explore the current state of governance — and what’s really shaping decision-making in Boardrooms. Using the recent Star Casino decision as a starting point, they unpack the tension between reliance and inquiry, the blurring of roles between Boards and management, and the increasing pressure on directors to make decisions in complex, uncertain environments. This episode goes beyond the case itself to explore the behavioural...
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